The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

'That holy man tried to kill – did kill thousands of Americans, and tried to
trick us and the Russians into killing two hundred million more! He almost
succeeded.'
'Yes, sir, that is also true, but – ' Fowler cut him off with a raised hand and
continued to speak in the placid voice of a man whose decision had been made.
'It was an act of war. I will reply in kind. That's decided. I'm the President.
I'm the Commander-in-Chief. I am the one who evaluates and acts upon the safety
and security of the United States. I decide what the military of this country
does. This man slaughtered thousands of our citizens, and used a nuclear weapon
to do it. I have decided that I will reply in kind. Under the Constitution, that
is my right, and my duty.'
'Mr President,' van Damm spoke. 'The American people – '
Fowler's anger appeared, but only briefly. 'The American people will demand that
I act! But that's not the only reason. I must act. I must reply to this – just
to make sure it never happens again!'
'Please think it through, sir.'
'Arnold, I have.'
Ryan looked over at Pete Connors and Helen D'Agustino. Both concealed their
feelings with marvelous skill. The rest of the room approved of Fowler's
purpose, and Jack already knew that he was not the one to reason with the man.
He looked at the clock and wondered what would come next.
'Mr President, this is General Fremont.'
'I'm here, General.'
'Sir, we have re-targeted a Minuteman-III missile in North Dakota for the target
specified. I – sir, have you thought this through?'
'General, I am your commander-in-chief. Is the missile readied for launch?'
'Sir, the launch sequence will take about a minute from the time you give the
order.'
'The order is given.'
'Sir, it's not that simple. I need an ID check. You've been briefed on the
procedure, sir.'
Fowler reached for his wallet and removed a plastic card, much like a credit
card. On it were ten different eight-number groups. Only Fowler knew which one
he was supposed to read.
'Three-Three-Six-Zero-Four-Two-Zero-Nine.'
'Sir, I confirm your identification code. Next, Mr President, the order must be
confirmed.'
'What?'
'Sir, the two-man rule applies. In the event of an overt attack, I can be the
second man, but since that is not the case, someone on my list must confirm the
order.'
'I have my chief of staff right here.'
'Sir, negative on that, the rule is that to be on the list you must be an
elected official or one approved by Congress – the Senate, that is – like a
cabinet secretary.'
'I'm on the list,' Jack said.
'Is that Dr Ryan, DDCI?'